Our favourite walk is along Chaweng beach. This beach is the longest on the island and will take you around 45 minutes to walk from one end to the other. This beach is great for both walkers and joggers and is flat at low tide making it easier on the feet as the sand is compacted. We find beach walking is great for working the leg muscles and gluts and beats the gym treadmill any day !

We start our walk at Muang Kulaypan, a leading boutique hotel and a member of design hotels, at the north end of Chaweng. This is a great walk first thing in the morning before most of Chaweng stirs.

Be careful not to trip over the odd person who never made it back to their hotel after a hedonistic night of partying and found the beach was their bed. Apart from this and the odd stray dog the walk will be blissfully uneventful. Of course, during the day this walk is entirely different as this is one of the busiest beaches on the island.

If you fancy a swim to cool off during your walk try to do this before 9 am as the jet skis hit the beach at this time. This is not a problem if you swim in the buoyed area meant for swimmers, but is most definitely a problem if you want to swim further out. Most jet skiers are responsible and do look out for swimmers, but it can be pretty scary when you see them coming towards you at full throttle.

For those who see themselves as Peter Fonda and want to relive the movie ‘Easy Rider’ you can also hire big bikes in places like Chaweng, though only experienced riders should consider renting them given the dangerous driving conditions. Prices vary depending on the model and your bargaining skills.

Swimming

On the subject of swimming, there are many beaches to choose from when deciding where to swim. Wherever you are staying, a beach will be nearby. If you are staying in the south of the island you will have to know the times of the tides as the water at low tide goes out a long way, and because the beaches are flat the water is shallow except at high tide. If you don’t want the hassle of checking tide tables then head to the north of the island. Here you can swim at low tide as the water never goes out that far. Also, there are a good number of accessible beaches on this side of the island to choose from.

The beach we normally go to, on the north side of the island, is Choeng Mon, a small bay overlooking Koh Farn Noi, a tiny island you can walk to at low tide.

castle in the water

Choeng Mon beach is very popular and has a number of hotels and bungalow resorts situated along the bay and is good for swimming, as the water is safe. Also, there is an inflatable fun castle in the water for children to play on.

For those who want some action on the water, Choeng Mon also has jet skis. Unlike, other beaches such as Chaweng beach, there is only one company renting jet skis and they appear to be well organised. The jet skis here are mainly used by families and you often see children being taken out on the water by their parents.

If you are a visitor and not staying in one of the resorts along the bay you can get to the beach by walking through Sala Samui resort. A little known fact, is that the pathway which runs through the centre of the resort is a public right of way and the route taken to the beach by the company that rents the jet skis.

Note: Despite what you may have been told, there are no private beaches in Thailand. Everyone, has a right to go on any beach they wish. Only accessibility will prevent you.

For those of you lucky enough to be staying in Karma Samui you have your own beach. Of course, it is not private, but no one else goes on this beach accept a few Thai people who fish from the rocks. Although, there are rocks fringing this beach there is a passageway through them, so swimmers can swim from the beach out to the open water. I often swim along the coast here to another beach nearby and find it is very peaceful. Sometimes, you get local fishing boats coming close to the shore to fish and some tourist boats stop to fish in this area too.

Other popular beaches on the north of the island are Bophut, where Fisherman’s Village is and Maenam. Down south, Lamai seems to be the most popular beach after Chaweng on the east coast.

There are many other beaches around the island, some of which will be deserted, so it is worth seeking them out. Get a map and ask around as everyone will have their favourite.